The present invention relates to a closure system for a door opening including a striker and a lock.
A lock makes it possible to maintain a door opening for an automotive vehicle in a closed position. A lock also makes it possible to unlock the door opening by operating an internal or external opening control device connected to the lock, which may be actuated by a user. Such a lock is typically mounted on the door opening of the vehicle.
A striker makes it possible to maintain the lock in the closed position on the door opening. The striker typically includes a plate fixed to bodywork of the vehicle and a striker wire or striker bolt consisting of a steel wire formed with a pin perpendicular to the striker plate.
The lock typically has a bolt, the function of which is to fix the striker wire mounted on the vehicle relative to the lock or, conversely, to release the striker wire. The operation of releasing the striker wire is known as opening the lock, which makes it possible to unlock the door opening. On the other hand, retaining the striker wire in the lock is known as closing the lock, which prevents unlocking of the door opening.
The bolt is urged into the closed position by the striker wire during closure of the door opening, and a detent pawl prevents the return of the bolt towards an open position and guarantees that the lock is maintained in the closed position in the absence of external action on the lock. The detent pawl is actuated by an opening control device, typically a door handle, in order to release the bolt and to allow the disengagement of the striker wire. Depending on the types of lock, the detent pawl may be actuated via an opening lever actuated by an opening control device or the detent pawl itself which has a hook forming a lever. Generally, when the door is slammed shut, the lock passes from an open state to a fully closed state. When the opening control device is actuated, the lock passes from the fully closed state to the open state.
Conventionally, a vehicle is defined with respect to three directions: an X direction of travel of the vehicle, a vertical Z direction from the ground to the sky and a lateral Y direction perpendicular to the X and Z directions, forming a direct trihedron.
A closure system conventionally includes stops to limit overtravel of the lock when the door is slammed shut and to lock the door in position when the vehicle is traveling. In particular, during traveling, the door tends to be displaced in the Z direction relative to the bodywork. When the door is slammed shut, the door tends to be pushed in beyond the closed position, in the Y direction, or in the X direction in the case of a rear door.
In the case of a utility vehicle equipped with a large swinging door or a sliding door, a pair of closure systems is used. A closure system is fixed in an upper part (the striker on a roof of the vehicle and the lock in the upper part of the door), and a closure system is fixed in the lower part (the striker on a floor of the vehicle and the lock in a lower part of the door). Such a lock arrangement is, for example, known in the utility vehicle of the Renault company marketed under the trade name Trafic®. It is understood that the expressions “upper part” and “lower part” refer to the Z axis as defined above relative to the vehicle.
FIGS. 1 and 2 show the closure system installed, in particular, in the upper part on a rear swinging door of a Renault Trafic® utility vehicle. The closure system includes a striker 10 and a lock 20, the striker 10 being intended to be fixed to a roof of a vehicle, and the lock 20 being intended to be fixed at a top of one of the door leaves.
The striker 10 and the lock 20 are generally delivered together by the supplier to the manufacturer, with the striker wire being retained by a bolt of the lock 20. Typically, the installation of the closure system by an operator is carried out by firstly pre-fixing the lock 20 to the door, then by connecting a cable for actuating the opening between a lever 21 of the lock 20 and a handle of the door of the vehicle. The door is then closed, and the striker 10 is fixed to bodywork of the vehicle. Then, the fixing of the lock 20 is adjusted on the door in the definitive position. Oblong holes 22 in a retaining plate of the lock 20 allow, namely, a pre-positioning of the lock 20 on the door with play in the Z direction. Similarly, the striker 10 has oblong holes 12 which allow an adjustment of the positioning of the striker 10 on the bodywork in the X direction or Y direction.
The striker 10 is thus fixed to the bodywork of the vehicle when the lock 20 is in the closed position in order to guarantee a relatively accurate positioning of the closure elements and, in particular, of the striker wire relative to the movement of the bolt. The oblong holes 12 and 22 of the striker 10 and the lock 20 make it possible to ensure this relative positioning during the fixing of the closure elements on the door and the bodywork of the vehicle. The striker 10 thus remains coupled to the lock 20 during the steps of installing the lock 20 on the door and, in particular, during the step of fixing the cable for actuating the opening between the lever 21 of the lock 20 and the door handle. During the operation of installing the cable for actuating the opening, the tension of the cable may lead to the actuation of the bolt of the lock 20 and the release of the striker wire. When the closure system is installed in the upper part, the release of the striker wire causes the striker 10 to fall, which may injure the operator and/or damage the striker or the bodywork of the vehicle (the floor).
To mitigate against this problem on the Renault Trafic® vehicle, it has been proposed to provide the closure system with a retaining clip 30 which prevents any movement of the bolt of the lock 20 in spite of a possible actuation of the opening lever during the fixing of the cable for actuating the opening. The striker 10 is thus prevented from falling because the striker wire remains secured by the bolt of the lock 20.
The retaining clip 30, produced in molded plastic, has numerous drawbacks. First, it increases the cost of the closure system, including the cost of the plastic part itself and the cost of the assembly of the striker 10 and the lock 20 (the assembly is carried out by pressing). The retaining clip 30 also provides an additional cost when installing the closure system on the vehicle. An additional operation is required by the operator, who has to remove the retaining clip 30 after installation. Moreover, the retaining clip 30, which is assembled in a press, is difficult to remove in spite of a grip 31. Moreover, the retaining clip 30 is discarded after use and is an additional waste component that is to be handled.
There is, therefore, a need for an improved and less costly closure system which makes it possible to secure the striker 10 and the lock 20 together during the installation of the closure system in the upper part, in particular during the step of fixing a cable for actuating the opening between the lever of the lock 20 and the door handle.
Furthermore, the fixing of the closure system in the lower part causes a further problem. FIGS. 3 and 4 show a closure system to be fixed in the lower part of the door, with the striker 10 coupled to the lock 20. A striker wire 11 is secured by a bolt 24. As described above, the installation of the closure system by an operator is carried out by first pre-fixing the lock 20 on the door, then by connecting a cable 40 for actuating the opening between the lever 21 of the lock 20 and a handle of the vehicle door. The door is then closed, and the striker 10 is fixed to the bodywork of the vehicle. In the lower part, the striker 10 is intended to be fixed to a floor 100 of the vehicle. When the door is closed with the lock 20 pre-fixed on the door, a striker support plate 15 may scrape or strike against the floor 100 (zone A encircled in FIG. 3), which may damage the paintwork, the anti-corrosion treatment of the bodywork, the striker 10 or other elements, and/or force the operator to hold the striker 10 manually to lift it to allow the closure of the door.
More specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the lock 20 is pre-fixed to the door by screws 23 inserted into the oblong holes 22 of a retaining plate 25 of the lock 20. As explained above, the oblong holes 22 are necessary for allowing the adjustment of the position relative to the striker 10 and the lock 20 in the Z direction. However, due to gravity, the pre-fixed lock 20 retracts with the screws 23 in an upper abutment into the oblong holes 22, and this retraction may bring the striker support plate 15 below the level of the floor 100 of the vehicle. Moreover, the striker support plate 15 tends to pivot downwards due to its own weight. Thus, when the door is slammed shut to fix the striker 10 to the floor 100 and complete the fixing of the lock 20 on the door, the striker support plate 15 may abut against the bodywork of the vehicle and be damaged or damage the bodywork of the vehicle.
The retraction Δs of the lock 20 in the Z direction relative to its required final position is, at a maximum, equal to a length of the oblong hole 22 less a width of the oblong hole 22, i.e., substantially equal to the length of the oblong hole 22 less a diameter of the screw 23, i.e., approximately 5 to 6 mm. The retraction is, however, sufficient to hamper the closure of the door in order to proceed with the fixing of the striker 10 to the floor 100 of the vehicle.
There is, therefore, also a need for a closure system which makes it possible to avoid the impact of the striker against the bodywork of the vehicle during the installation of the closure system in the lower part.